'How have I never heard of this?': Toronto Public Library program reads children bedtime stories

A mother reads to her daughter at the Toronto Public Library’s High Park location in 2010. The Dial-a-Story program makes it possible for children to be read stories on the phone at no cost. Photo from Getty Images.

It’s the end of a long day, your child cuddles up beside you in bed and asks you to read a bedtime story.

You could open up a book and start reading, or you could give the Toronto Public Library a call and have them do it for you.

The initiative began making waves again when the Toronto Public Library tweeted about it last week, resulting in hundreds of likes, retweets and comments in response. Most of the responses featured eager parents or nostalgic former users of the program.

Books can be read in English, French, Polish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Russia, Italian, Gujarati, Somali, Spanish, Korean, Tamil, Tagalog, Mandarin, Persian and Urdu. The program is so popular, there are already requests for more languages to be added.

“Anyone can call the line,” Toronto Public Library communications officer Michelle Leung told Yahoo Canada via email. “When you phone, you’ll be asked what language you want to hear the story in and you make that selection on your keypad. Give it a try, very easy!”

Leung noted some stories are catered to acknowledge different cultural celebrations throughout the year, including Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month and the winter holiday season.

All you have to do is pick up the phone and dial 416-395-5400. Depending on where you are located, long distance charges may apply.